Newport Beach City Manager Update:
New Public Dock
By Guest Contributor Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager – April 02, 2024
Source: Newport Beach Independent – newport-beach-city-manager-update-new-public-dock
Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
Newport Harbor’s newest and largest public dock is now open for recreational boaters.
On Friday, March 29 I had the pleasure of joining Newport Beach City Council members along with officials from the County of Orange, the Irvine Company and State Assembly to celebrate the Balboa Marina Public Pier grand opening.
The project is a partnership between the City, County and Irvine Company.
The new pier can accommodate up to 12 small vessels or several larger vessels. It is free for day use by the public for up to three hours. The pier greatly expands public access and recreational opportunities in a previously underserved area of the harbor.
The new pier was constructed and financed by the Irvine Company as part of an agreement with the California Coastal Commission that allows for expansion of an adjacent private marina. The City of Newport Beach will own, maintain and operate the pier. It is ADA compliant and includes the opportunity to use the “human lift” device already in use at Marina Park.
Part of the dock is located on tidelands property controlled by the County of Orange. The County Board of Supervisors granted the City long-term access in 2022 with a 45-year, no-cost lease.
Discussions of a public pier date back to 2011, when the Irvine Company initiated a new phase of its marina expansion project. A public-private partnership was formed, in which the City agreed to pay the entitlement costs and the Irvine Company agreed to construct the dock.
A 2013 study by the Commission identified this location as one of the harbor areas where a public pier was most needed. It was No. 2 after Central Avenue (where a new pier was built in 2016).
I encourage residents and visitors to use and enjoy this wonderful new addition to the harbor!
Source: Newport Beach Independent – newport-beach-city-manager-update-new-public-dock
Newport Harbor’s newest and largest public dock is now open for recreational boaters.
On Friday, March 29 I had the pleasure of joining Newport Beach City Council members along with officials from the County of Orange, the Irvine Company and State Assembly to celebrate the Balboa Marina Public Pier grand opening.
Newport Beach has a handful of iconic attractions that have stood the test of time: The Newport Pier, which replaced the original McFadden Wharf (1888-1939) and is registered as a California Historical Landmark; the Balboa Pavilion, which opened on July 1, 1906 and is the city’s oldest standing building; and the Balboa Island Ferry, which went into service in 1919 to bring cars and passengers across 900 feet of water between Balboa Island and the Balboa Fun Zone.
Michele Gile reports from Newport Beach with Seymour Beek, where many are celebrating that the beloved Balboa Island ferry’s fate is no longer in jeopardy after receiving a $7.9 million grant to convert from diesel to zero-emissions operations by 2025.
The 8th Annual Newport Beach Wooden Boat Festival will return to the Balboa Yacht Club, June 7 – 8, 2024 with more than 40 wooden vessels of all sizes on display, and a collection of master artisans and craftsmen at work.
This year’s festival theme is “The Art & Craft of the Wooden Boat” in celebration of the creative artistry, intricate craftsmanship, and timeless beauty of wooden boats.
“Event guests will be able to immerse themselves in the centuries-old artform of wooden boat building, and the fine woodworking and artistic details that adorn the boats,” said event chair Stephen Paljieg. “This year’s event will be bigger and better than ever. Its theme captures the essence of the passion and artistry behind these magnificent, one-of-a-kind watercrafts and the inclusion of the master craftsmen who build and keep them in ‘Bristol condition’ takes it to a whole new level of experience.”
Welcome to a New Year which takes me back to The Who song, “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” whose message is summarized in the last line, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” and its meaning is “nothing changes and so don’t get fooled again.” Which is a very confusing way to report on what’s going on in the harbor this first month of 2024. So let me backtrack before throwing a few soft punches.
I ended last week by walking through Basin Shipyard and took a moment to talk to owners Dereck and Dave New. As always this time of year, the yard is packed with Dave reporting that they are two months out. So, if you own a boat with outboards or Pod drives, you better call now and book your annual maintenance to be ready for the spring/summer boating season. The yard was full of new Tiara products, but I’m sure there were many other makes of yachts in the yard, yet the pretty ones always grab my attention first.
Q: From a distance it seemed like a quiet year, no oil spills, tsunamis, down aircraft. So what did I miss?
A: There were a couple of severe weather (wind and rain) events this year. We revived the technology we use to notify mooring permittees of approaching weather and urge them to verify their mooring equipment and lines to ensure all are secure. You may recall, there was considerable attention and communication in anticipation of Hurricane Hilary arriving in August. One other of the severe weather events was a strong Santa Ana which stresses the mooring equipment from a different direction than usual, so we have significant concern about boats staying in place when faced with unusual conditions. All in all, things were fine and we greatly appreciated everyone’s preparedness in the face of these severe events.
2023 was a busy and productive year for the City of Newport Beach, thanks to strong leadership and our extremely professional staff.
We have been working diligently to increase public safety, address quality-of-life issues, and make strategic investments to further improve our great city.
Here’s a look at some of our 2023 successes:
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